Doing a 180
by Ryuosen
Summary: Being a shinobi meant sacrifice, pain and little recompense, at least for jounin. So it was no wonder that Iruka-sensei could always be so relaxed and trusting. At least that's what Kakashi used to think... until he got to know him better.


Doing a 180  
- a Naruto story -

**written** by ryuosen  
**written** for kakairu_fest summer 2013  
**Participant/Team:** ryuosen/Team Switch  
**Bingo Square:** Switch - prompt Personalities  
**Genres: **adventure, angst, pre-slash  
**Rating:** R for violence, death  
**Word Count:** ~ 2800

**Summary:**  
Being a shinobi meant sacrifice, pain and little recompense, at least for jounin. So it was no wonder that Iruka-sensei could always be so relaxed and trusting. At least that's what Kakashi used to think... until he got to know him better.

**Additional notes:**  
Forgot to post this to my own journal after writing in during the summer. Without further ado, enjoy!

"talking"  
_thoughts, letters_

* * *

**Doing a 180**

When Kakashi met Iruka for the first time, he hadn't known with whom he was dealing and wouldn't for a few more years because frankly it hadn't really been important at the time. The only thing he'd cared about at that moment had been the completion of his mission without dying in the process.

He'd been Anbu then.

It had been at the public celebration of the Sandaime's 40th year in office and the whole village had been transformed into one public spectacle. Booths with vendors selling food, offering games and dozens of other activities lined the streets and civilians and shinobi alike were enjoying themselves.

The whole of Konoha was celebrating.

Well, most of them anyway. One had to exclude those unfortunate souls who had been settled with babysitter duty, those who were jumping from roof to roof looking for potential trouble.

Kakashi had been one of them.

Almost a week before the festivals even began a group of prisoners had managed to escape into the village and they had been on the run ever since. No one had been able to find even a hint of their present location. It could only mean one thing.

_Traitor..._

Someone had helped them. Someone had told how to escape and where to hide. There wasn't anyone suspect yet, aside from just about everyone, excluding those the Hokage trusted explicitly and they knew it.

The group of those explicitly trusted had been tasked with the search and apprehension of the escaped prisoners. Sandaime wanted to know how their escape had been possible, who the traitors and their contacts were and where to find them. Sadly the upcoming festivities only made their search harder and chances were high that the prisoners would meet with their contacts during the festival and try to leave the village.

They had to find them beforehand.

They had failed... days had slipped by, preparations for the festival had proceeded and no one had found even the hint of a trail.

Tomorrow the festivities would begin and they had nothing. Sandaime hadn't been pleased to say the least and as gentle and grandfatherly as he could appear for the public, when something - in this case someone - threatened his village he could transform in your worst nightmare faster than most men could blink.

Canceling the festival was all but impossible. Too much danger in appearing weak in front of the foreign nations. Dozens of different ambassadors had been invited to attend the ceremonies and to call the whole thing off. Impossible.

So here they were, hiding in the shadows of houses searching the crowd for anyone suspicious. And two minutes ago, Kakashi'd spotted one of them. The genjutsu hiding him was subtle and used almost no chakra at all but with the sharingan it had stood out like an explosion of colors against a blank canvas.

Informing the others had taken less than a minute before he had followed his target, a hound following his scented prey. Over the radio he'd heard acknowledgment and further orders. Others had also found suspicious individuals and were in pursuit. With good preparation and planning they could end this tonight without anyone the wiser.

Kakashi should have known something would go wrong.

The trap - they really should have expected one - springs on them during their closing in. Five of the six missing prisoners suddenly pushed chakra through their coils, expelling it from their bodies and Kakashi can feel his eyes widen in fright as the sharingan translates...

He didn't even have time to warn his comrades - his hands flashing through the symbols for shushin on instinct - before the area the prisoners enclosed - a nearly 60 yards pentagon - lit up and exploded. Too late to complete the last handsign for his own jutsu, the heat of the explosion reached him mere milliseconds later, bathing his world in shades of red before his mind was blissfully carried away.

It was the sound of stones being moved that brought him back to consciousness. Assessing his own body with the routine of someone who had done it his whole life, Kakashi could safely see that he had no life threatening injuries. Though the broken leg and arm did impair his mobility. Also the hand crushed beneath debris prevented him from freeing himself.

Not that it was needed, the sounds which had roused him were steadily getting louder and he had dug enough people – comrades and civilians alike – from debris of destroyed buildings or any other variation to be intimately familiar with the related noises and movements. Someone was digging him out, a single person probably going by sounds and speed.

It brought Kakashi back to the reason why he had been buried in the first place. The prisoners, the explosion their jutsu had caused. He couldn't be certain as to how long he had been buried but guessed that more than 30 minutes had passed since he couldn't hear any screaming or panicky cries, meaning that the area had already been cleared... or that there weren't any survivors.

Kakashi hoped for the latter and used a protruding stone to push his hitae-ate over the sharingan. He hissed briefly as the fabric dragged over a patch of what had to be dried blood and added head injury to his list of wounds. _Fantastic_, he thought, his chances of staying at the hospital had just skyrocketed. He hated the hospital.

But before he could spent more than a passing thought on it the stone directly above his chest rumbled, sending little chunks and pebbles onto his stomach. Then there is a hole and a torch lightened up the area. The face he sees - or are there two or three of him, Kakashi isn't quite sure - is younger than him by a year or two and no jounin. There is still too much innocence in the eyes, genin or chuunin then. It didn't matter either way, as long as he dug Kakashi out. Which he did, less than five minutes later Kakashi had been freed.

Meanwhile three medic-nin had arrived and lifted him onto a stretcher while another got the report from the kid. Kakashi couldn't remember ever having seen him before. His built was stockier than his own, but shorter, the skin several shades darker, his hair a dark brown and falling loosely over his shoulders. However it was the scar that had his attention, stretching from cheekbone to cheekbone. The wound had been deep and survival must have been a miracle.

"Get well soon, shinobi-san," was the last thing Kakashi heard before the sedatives kicked in and sent him to sleep. He awoke two days later and was immediately rushed onto his next mission - killing the five escaped prisoners - and by the time he returned, successful with a bad case of chakra exhaustion and sleep deprivation he'd forgotten about the strange kid who'd dug him free.

* * *

The next time he met the kid, it had become a man and was teaching his sensei's son and the last Uchiha. It was also purely coincidental.

He'd been recovering from an injury and by pure chance purchased his weekly food supply at a shop near the academy. Kakashi had just handed over his money when the sounds of an argument reached his ears.

Accepting the change he had turned around and walked towards the academy grounds. A group of pre-genin obviously had just finished training and was probably supposed to cool down while their sensei locked the dangerous kunai away. Instead a fight had broken out. Kakashi couldn't really tell who started it, too far away at the beginning to identify any voices, but could safely say on whom the fight centered - Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

Two of the most important children in the village.

Namikaze Minato's legacy was the shortest of the children, even all girls towered over him and Kakashi made a mental note to check up on the kid. Both Minato and Kushina had been tall and slim. To think that their son was anything less was... suspicious to say the least. Especially since the assassination attempts had steadily risen ever since the kid had started to attend the academy. Truthfully Kakashi was surprised that no academy teacher had tried something so far.

Amused, he watched as the last remaining Uchiha, Ubito's eye was hurting fleetingly, and the Kyuubi container fought their argument out. He had no idea what they were arguing about but it looked like something incredible important judging by the way they were fighting. At least until he heard someone screaming, "_Just what do you think you're doing?!_"

It was their sensei and here Kakashi paused, watching with great fascination as the two hellions were pulled apart and rapped on the head. Both winced and he could hear the, "_Sorry sensei!_" before either even spoke.

The teacher, probably a chuunin, wasn't appeased in the slightest and Kakashi repressed the wince as he heard the punishment: "Twenty laps around the grounds and you'll clean the classroom today! This behavior in unacceptable for future shinobi of Konoha."

During his short stint at the academy he'd never served detention himself but had seen it often enough. Cleaning classrooms appeared to be especially unpopular.

"But he starte... " Minato-sensei's son started to say only to be interrupted again.

"Don't start with me, Naruto. Fights aren't tolerated, now run. _Both_ of you and if I get wind that either of you is on less than their best behavior you won't like the consequences. Clear?!"

The teacher had a set of lungs. Did he ever pause to take breath, not that Kakashi could see as the rest of the class was dismissed for the day. He quirked an eyebrow as the teacher produced a kage bushin and sent it after Naruto and Sasuke. Now that was interesting. The technique was strictly guarded and here was an academy teacher capable of it.

Jumping on a rooftop he followed the teacher.

The man had a tan, dark brown hair, a stocky build... and somehow that description appeared to be familiar. Kakashi tried to remember, he never forgot a face after all, but couldn't really say where he'd seen the man before. At least not until he saw the scar. Stretching from cheekbone to cheekbone, the scar was obviously old and then Kakashi knew. It was the kid which had dug him out of the debris during the festival in honor of Sandaime's 40th year in office.

The kid had grown up, the hair was shorter, the eyes several shades darker but still - and here Kakashi startled - friendly, full of light and innocence.

Frowning, Kakashi left, a teacher shouldn't have eyes like that. How could he teach his students knowledge of a shinobi if he didn't experience it? He would have to look at the teacher's file when he had time.

Not that he ever got to it, as hours later another important mission came in. One he was uniquely suited for.

By the time he could have pestered Ibiki for a file on an academy teacher, he was sneaking into a fortress in Grass Country, trying and succeeding to stay alive. The teacher, having never really been important, slid into the vast space of his mind, forgotten for now.

* * *

Umino Iruka, that was the sensei's name. Two years after having made the decision to look him up, he'd actually gotten around to it.

The file was entirely boring and Kakashi couldn't find anything within the reports that gave him answers to his questions. Neither as to where the teacher had learned the Kage Bushin no jutsu - it wasn't listed - nor why Sandaime actually listened to his opinions.

"Found what you're looking for?"

Kakashi's head snapped up and he came face to face with Asuma who perched on the roof next to his, cigarette dangling from his mouth. He shook his head.

"No, this," he gestured to the file, "is useless."

Asuma just nodded before speaking, "I know Iruka. So perhaps I can help you out. What do you want to know?"

For a brief moment Kakashi was silent, mulling over the offer. Asuma was his comrade and dare he say _friend_? They had been on many missions together, though had little to do with each other outside of missions. Still the help was appreciated. He could buy Asuma a drink in exchange.

"Why does your father listen to him? He's an academy teacher, has no knowledge about the training we've done with our students and dares to tell us they're not ready. Why does he listen to him?"

Asume chuckled lightly before flipping the cigarette bud away, "That's easy. Iruka's something like my father's ward, you could say. He simply trusts his opinion and...he probably wanted to appease him."

Here the man faltered and Kakashi knew he'd unknowingly he a sore spot.

"He always had a soft spot for him and his smile." His voice sounded as bitter as Asuma appeared to be. "He's not doubting our judgment. Just Iruka's not like us. Where we are jaded, he is trusting. Father likes it. It makes him believe that not all shinobi become paranoid."

Kakashi just nodded, that was at least something familiar. Minato had done that for Obio too, even when it was apparent that it was either useless or completely unimportant.

"Thanks Asuma," Kakashi smiled and left to return the file he'd _borrowed_. He'd gotten an answer, though the second question still remained open. Though now that he thought about it. Sandaime could have taught the teacher the jutsu. It made sense, if that what Asuma said was true and Kakashi had no reason to doubt his comrade, then it was simply the closeness that had gotten Umino Iruka the influence over Sandaime and a rare jutsu. A simple coincidence which had ended less favorably for him. Not that the man wouldn't be surprised when he tested his students tomorrow. They probably had already surpassed the chuunin himself.

Kakashi smiled. He would enjoy the teacher's face.

* * *

War was the most ugly thing Kakashi knew. His whole body ached. He'd been without sleep for over three days by now and nearly no energy left. Normally he'd have Pakkun watch out for enemies, the dog being most effective in finding them. But not anymore, there wasn't any chakra left and the shelter he was supposed to have reached yesterday was still two miles away.

The weather had steadily gotten worse and it wouldn't be long now before the thunderstorm broke loose. Although no cloud was visible, the sky appeared to be pitch-black, making it incredible hard to move forward with the scent of impeding rain clouding the air.

The scroll he carried inside his body throbbed and he had to suppress the hiss that threatened to break loose. His comrade had cut him open, stuffed the scroll in and secured it with less care than normally. The stitching still itched and burned. While they had enough time to heal it up to the point that it looked weeks old instead of days there hadn't been enough to completely have it disappear.

Not that he hadn't dealt with less than ideal situations before. He would just make the best out of it.

Lightning breaks the quiet and it's then that Kakashi can see them. Enemies, their hitae-ate gleaming in the light. Not too many, twenty at most, but enough to give him more than a challenge considering the state he's in.

They hadn't seen him so far, he concluded because none of them moved even an inch as he faded into the darkness of the trees. Silently he pulled his hitae-ate up, needing to check their chakra flow.

He stopped.

None of the men and women hiding in the trees were alive. None of them had an active chakra flow save for one person leaning against a tree to his right. Moving closer, he inspected the first body. The woman had died from impalement. A spear made from water had struck her down, impaled her whole body.

Nice, certainly effective.

Inching closer to the only other living person, Kakashi felt his eyebrows rise. Was this his contact?

_Iruka-sensei_

Carefully he pulsed his chakra in the prearranged sequence and waited for the answer before revealing himself.

Iruka didn't speak, only nodded before taking off. Leaving Kakashi to follow. There were more enemies, all dead, all having died the same way.

Only when they reached the shelter, did Iruka offer him words and they were nothing like he expected. The teacher had always been someone friendly, someone trusting or how else had Mizuki been able to fool him but now there was nothing.

The eyes looking at him belonged to a killer, to someone who had no mercy.

"The scroll's safe? Shall I accompany you the rest of the way? The conditions are to my," a glance outside, "_advantage._"

Kakashi then understood and felt like a fool. Asuma was a fool too. Just as he was aloof, Iruka was friendly. Parts of them, used to their advantage. He found himself intrigued. What else would he discover, he wondered.

Kakashi smiled. "That would be nice, Iruka-sensei."

_fin_


End file.
